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Mastering the Art of Compelling Speech Coverage: Tips from Michael Gartner

In a recent session with journalism students, Michael Gartner shared invaluable insights on crafting engaging stories from speeches, emphasizing the importance of a strong lede. Rather than merely summarizing the content, he encouraged journalists to identify and highlight the most compelling aspects to draw readers in. Gartner advised reporters to reinforce their leads with impactful quotes and to address key details in subsequent paragraphs, ensuring clarity and context. His advice serves as a guiding principle for effective journalism in today's fast-paced media landscape.

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Mastering the Art of Compelling Speech Coverage: Tips from Michael Gartner

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  1. The dreaded, horrible, unspeakable ‘topic lede’

  2. Topic ledes • “Michael Gartner gave a speech today to journalism students about tips for good writing.”

  3. Topic lede • The news is not that Gartner gave a speech, or even the overall subject of his speech

  4. Topic lede • The news is not that Gartner gave a speech, or even the overall subject of his speech • What is it about the speech that will compel the reader to read your story?

  5. Topic lede • The news is not that Gartner gave a speech, or even the overall subject of his speech • What is it about the speech that will compel the reader to read your story? • I Can Never Prepare Pancakes In England

  6. Topic lede • The news is not that Gartner gave a speech, or even the overall subject of his speech • What is it about the speech that will compel the reader to read your story? • I Can Never Prepare Pancakes In England • Besides being boring, topic ledes are lazy, weak and tepid

  7. Covering speeches: A recipe for success • Set up your story with a compelling lede

  8. Covering speeches: A recipe for success • Set up your story with a compelling lede • What is the most newsworthy thing the speaker said... or occasionally what big happened at the speech

  9. Covering speeches: A recipe for success • Set up your story with a compelling lede • What is the most newsworthy thing the speaker said... or occasionally what big happened at the speech • Second graf is a powerful quote to reinforce the point in your lede

  10. Covering speeches: A recipe for success • Set up your story with a compelling lede • What is the most newsworthy thing the speaker said... or occasionally what big happened at the speech • Second graf is a powerful quote to reinforce the point in your lede • Third graf includes the Ws necessary for reader to know what’s going on

  11. Covering speeches: A recipe for success • Set up your story with a compelling lede • What is the most newsworthy thing the speaker said... or occasionally what big happened at the speech • Second graf is a powerful quote to reinforce the point in your lede • Third graf includes the Ws necessary for reader to know what’s going on • Put speaker’s name in lede only if it’s known to most of your readers: did you know Gartner before reading his speech?

  12. Covering speeches • Include enough bio details to establish credentials

  13. Covering speeches • Include enough bio details to establish credentials • Convey tone of speech: what was mood of crowd, applause, boos, catcalls, laughter, tears, etc.

  14. So, let’s try another speech! • You are a reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle, assigned to cover Steve Jobs’ commencement speech to the Stanford University graduating class of 2012

  15. So, let’s try another speech! • You are a reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle, assigned to cover Steve Jobs’ commencement speech to the Stanford University graduating class of 2012 • Listen to this speech and write the first three grafs of a hard-news, next-day (Wednesday) story for the morning paper

  16. So, let’s try another speech! • You are a reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle, assigned to cover Steve Jobs’ commencement speech to the Stanford University graduating class of 2012 • Listen to this speech and write the first three grafs of a hard-news, next-day (Wednesday) story for the morning paper • Remember: your lede is the most newsworthy thing, reinforcing quote in second graf, rest of Ws in third graf

  17. Assignment for 1/31 • Re-read pages 44-45 of Inside Reporting

  18. Assignment for 1/31 • Re-read pages 44-45 of Inside Reporting • Re-read pages 108-109 of Inside Reporting

  19. Assignment for 1/31 • Re-read pages 44-45 of Inside Reporting • Re-read pages 108-109 of Inside Reporting • This weekend, you are a sports reporter for the AP. You are to travel to any college basketball game or to a tennis match at the Australian Open. You are to write a game-day story that will move internationally (tennis) or nationally (basketball). Your story will be at least 400 words! Use statistics, quotes, color, etc.

  20. Assignment for 1/31 • Re-read pages 44-45

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